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Barrels and drums may contain liquids such
as gasoline, oil, or syrup, or solids such as asphalt,
hardware, and resin. Rough handling or dropping
may break in heads or staves. Striking with a hard
object such as the fork of a hand truck or bump-
ing with a forklift truck or tractor can puncture
drums. A designated space, usually a special
building, should be set aside for drums that con-
tain flammable material.
Barrels and drums may be palletized, but
weight should be evenly distributed. A 4- by 6-foot
board takes six drums. If tiered end up (without
the use of pallets), each tier should be separated
by strips of dunnage.
Corrosive, poisonous, and flammable liquids
are packed in glass carboys or cans. A separate
building or warehouse is usually set aside for this
type of cargo because it requires special care in
handling. The possibilities of damage or disaster
arise when this type of material becomes mixed
with other types.
Lumber is shipped and stored in all sizes and
lengths. It is classed as dry or wet. Dry lumber
must be kept dry, but wet lumber may be stored
in the open. Hand hooks should not be used on
the ends. When slinging, edges must not be
gouged with slings, as this may ruin the pieces for
the use for which they were intended. Manpower
will be conserved if lumber stacks are first built
to be handled by a lift or straddle truck. If this
is not practical when stacking, build the stack so
that it can be taken down by a fork truck. Some
lumber because of its small size needs considerable
stripping. Laths are good for this purpose. When
the stack is built up to a fork truck load, place
the blocking so that it acts as stripping and
another load can be built on top.
Because piling is round, it is easily handled by
rolling with a peavey or canthook. As the butts
of piles are larger in diameter than the tops, they
should be staggered when tiered. This maintains
the same height at each end of the tier. Securely
chock the bottom tier to prevent rolling; strip with
4-by 4-inch lumber. Nail chocks to this stripping;
the front chock being nailed in place after the
completion of the tier. Succeeding tiers are built
in a like manner.
Some pipe is made of cast iron, which may
break easily if struck a sharp blow. Other pipe
must be protected from rust, which means that
extra care must be taken to protect it from
moisture. Some pipe is coated with an asphalt
preparation that becomes soft when exposed to
heat, so it must be kept clear of other com-
modities. Most pipe is too long to store on pallets.
It can usually be transported by fork trucks or
rolling. Long pipe is tiered in the same manner
as piling.
THE SAFETY PROGRAM
The major causes of accidents are careless-
ness, inexperience, and attitude. The goal of
a good safety program should be the elimina-
tion of these causes. Whereas an effective train-
ing program can overcome the inexperience
factor, carelessness and attitude can only be over-
come by constant vigilance, stern enforcement of
safety regulations and, most importantly, the
supervisor’s enthusiasm in selling safety to
subordinates.
In addition, the critique is an important part
of the safety program. It should be held a few days
after replenishment and should be attended by as
many of the crew in the department as possible
and all officers and petty officers taking part or
observing should stand up and give their views.
Any unsafe practices or potentially dangerous
situations that were observed should be brought
up at this time. Recommendations for improve-
ment should be discussed on the spot and, if
adopted, recorded for later use. A special file
should be maintained in the supply office to make
sure valuable lessons learned the hard way are not
lost.
Recommendations for correcting unsafe con-
ditions that require action by shore activities
(inventory managers, supply centers, supply
depots, and so forth) should be sent to the activity
concerned and to the Naval Supply Systems Com-
mand via official channels. Prompt submission
of such reports contributes to Navywide safety
programs.
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